Lemon Chicken Stir-Fry

Lemon Chicken Stir-Fry

48 Reviews

From: EatingWell Magazine, May/June 2009

Spiked with lots of zesty lemon, this delectable chicken stir-fry has a colorful mix of snow peas, carrots and scallions. But feel free to substitute other thinly sliced vegetables, such as bell peppers or zucchini. Serve with: Rice noodles or brown rice.

Preparation

Active

40 m

Ready In

40 m

Grate 1 teaspoon lemon zest and set aside. Juice the lemon and whisk 3 tablespoons of the juice with broth, soy sauce and cornstarch in a small bowl.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook, stirring occasionally, until just cooked through, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate with tongs. Add mushrooms and carrots to the pan and cook until the carrots are just tender, about 5 minutes. Add snow peas, scallion whites, garlic and the reserved lemon zest. Cook, stirring, until fragrant, 30 seconds. Whisk the broth mixture and add to the pan; cook, stirring, until thickened, 2 to 3 minutes. Add scallion greens and the chicken and any accumulated juices; cook, stirring, until heated through, 1 to 2 minutes.

People with celiac disease or gluten-sensitivity should use soy sauces that are labeled "gluten-free," as soy sauce may contain wheat or other gluten-containing sweeteners and flavors.

Reviews 48

Came out fantastic! I doubled the recipe so we would have leftovers.
My adaptations:
Marinade chicken in 4 tablespoons lemon juice + 2 tablespoons light soy sauce (double this if doubling recipe);
Halved the chicken broth;
Added salt and pepper to chicken when cooking it in pan;
Used frozen veggies;
Reduced sauce in pan before adding to veggies

May 14, 2015

By: EatingWell User

Lemon in stir fry = disgustingly overpowering clash
Citrus - especially this incredible amount of lemon - just doesn't belong in a traditional soy sauce-based stir fry. It's an overwhelming clash of flavors that will leave any unsuspecting taster squint-eyed and gasping, pleading, Why did you do this to me?
If you'd like to experiment with citrus and stir fry, try a light squeeze of lemon on the plated food, or simply serving it with a lemon wedge.
But seriously - don't make this recipe as-is. It's a disgusting affront to Asian cooking.

February 03, 2015

By: EatingWell User

Tangy, unique and loved
I was very unsure about this when I saw what the sauce looked like after Step 1 (almost like a very watery tahini) but it sure does pull it together at the end and the flavor really wow'ed us at the table!
Me and my husband both have our reliable fall-back sauces for stir-fry nights, mine being peanut, his being sesame-chili-ginger, but we never did a lemony sauce. I had no clue how much we'd been missing out on.
I'll say it feels like far more steps that are outlined (I love how 5 processes are lumped in Step 2) and the whole taking the chicken out seems like a pain, but I think it's both *really* important, and a good idea to do it just as they say - with tongs. I didn't realize I had left some of the juicy stuff to sop up veggies with in the next stage of frying by scooping the chicken out with a paddle, instead of using tongs - until I dumped the chicken back in and saw all the off-juices!
Also - that corn starch and lemon juice sauce in the beginning looks pretty weak, but once it's cooked into the fry in the final stage, it's really amazing! I will return to this one, for sure.
Pros: Interesting sauce that comes together well
Cons: Multiple steps, not fast enough for 'easy'

January 04, 2015

By: EatingWell User

Best lemon chicken stir fry ever!
This is a delicious stir fry recipe. We loved the lemony flavor of the sauce with a little peppery bite to it. Will definitely make this again.
Pros: flavorful, lemony with a kick
Cons: none

March 11, 2014

By: haltongirl10

My family and I didn't like this recipe, they threw it out. I ate it but it wasn't very flavorful, tasted like watered down lemon juice. I do love the calorie count though great to kick start my new diet if I don't give in tonight and go to McD's.

August 26, 2013

By: hgmenocal

Great Lemon Flavor
I confess, I am one of those who made some changes. I was aiming for meatless monday, so I used shrimp instead of chicken. I also used bok choy instead of snow peas. The snow peas at the store were very sad looking and the boy choy looked great. I followed the directions, just making the food swaps. The cooking was a tad faster as the shrimp cooks in just a few minutes. I would make this again.
Pros: fast and easy
Cons: does take some time for prep work

July 08, 2013

By: EatingWell User

Made this for the first time and followed the recipe with the exception that I replaced the mushrooms with a red bell pepper as my husband is not a fan of mushrooms. It was delicious, zesty and incredibly easy to make. Will be making a larger batch next time for leftovers.
Pros: Easy to prepare, Quick Weeknight Dinner

June 06, 2013

By: Jennifer87

Very flavorful!
This was a really great dish with a bold, delicious flavor. I used fresh green beans instead of sugar snap peas, but followed the recipe exactly besides this. I will be making this again, my boyfriend also loved it.
Pros: Lots of veggies, tastes great, filling
Cons: Lots of prep time

May 29, 2013

By: EatingWell User

Lots of flavor especially for the calories
I might even add more lemon....I added some additional veggies and made it for company that had various health issues and this would work for everyone and everyone loved it. I put it over a small amount of brown rice pasta.
Pros: easy, flavorfull, healthy